Te Amo
by callmecosmo
Summary: Work in progress. Story about Steph & Ranger.
1. Chapter 1

**The Awakening**

It was wet. It had been raining for days, which seemed like weeks. She woke slowly, listening to the water splash down on the metal fire escape outside her bedroom window. She didn't move, there didn't really seem to be any reason to move. Eventually, stretching back into the pillows she shook her head and tried to focus. The sound of the rain outside seemed to get even louder. Maybe she was in Seattle, not Trenton. It was supposed to rain every day there, she thought, not in New Jersey.

She sat up against the headboard, dragging the comforter with her, tucking it under her chin. She stared at the material for a moment – purple with a sprig of flowers repeated over and over again. If she crossed her eyes slightly, she could just see colors and shapes; nothing recognizable, certainly not the daisies, violets and sunflowers that she knew were there.

It was time to get up. If nothing else, she needed to pee. And make coffee. Then she would probably have to pee again. The excitement of the day stretching ahead of her was overwhelming – or not!

Leaving the bathroom after washing her hands and quickly brushing her teeth, she stumbled over one of a pair of black leather boots thrown across the carpet in between the bathroom and her bedroom. Tangled with the 4" high-heeled boot, she twisted her ankle slightly, swore and hopped the rest of the way into the kitchen on one foot.

Waiting for the coffee to brew, she went over to speak to Rex. She tapped lightly on the side of his cage. The hamster didn't move but she could see one of his pink padded rear paws sticking out of the Campbell's chicken noodle soup can she had given him last week. At least, she thought it was a rear paw but, honestly, it could just as easily have been one of the front ones since only a tiny bit was showing.

Pouring her coffee into the neon red and yellow Wonder woman mug that Mary Alice had given her last Christmas; Stephanie slowly added milk and sugar until the coffee turned a beautiful mocha latter shade. She took her drink and moved over to the living room window, pulling the corner of the shade to one side. This allowed her to stare through the glass at the black SUV sitting below in the parking lot. She wondered which Rangeman had been stuck with babysitting duty today. Probably not Hal, the last time he had been charged with watching her, she had managed to stun him with his own weapon. She still felt guilty about that even though it had seemed like the thing to do at that time.

She took another sip of coffee, sighed and wondered who had first thought of making a drink from coffee beans. A freakin' genius, whoever it was to paraphrase her friend Sally Sweet, a 6'5" cross-dressing musician whose vocabulary was peppered with 4 letter words. Sally liked, no loved, coffee too. Laughing to herself softly, she thought back to the last time the two of them had gotten together for coffee in the little Internet café that had opened up a few blocks from Rangeman headquarters on Haywood Ave in downtown Trenton.

Her phone started to ring loudly, startling her out of her abstract musing. Loudly? Where was her cell? Oh. Who knows why but she must have left it on the windowsill last night. The windowsill she was now leaning on.

**Yo.  
Babe.  
What?  
You might not want to stand next to the window dressed like that.**

Stephanie looked down. Shit. She was naked. She stepped back from the window, tripped over what turned out to be the other FMP black suede boot she had worn last night and started to swear as she managed to drop the cell phone in her right hand directly into the almost empty coffee mug in her left. Double shit. She was sure she could still hear Ranger's voice coming faintly from inside the mug.

**Babe.**


	2. Chapter 2

**The Shower**

Leaving her cell in the mug and the mug on the floor next to one of the black boots that she was really starting to consider a safety hazard, she walked through her bedroom into the bathroom. Pushing aside the new orange and white shower curtain that she bought on a recent shopping trip with Lula that included a stop at **Bed, Bath & Beyond**, she turned the hot water on. Letting it run for the three minutes required for the building's old water heater to send hot water up to her apartment on the 2nd floor, she then added cold and stepped into the tub.

As the water streamed over her head, she grabbed her shampoo. Squirting a glob into her right hand, she started to work the gel into her hair. Once she had worked the lather in, she took a step back, allowing the water to cascade down her front. Grabbing her loofah, she added some green tea body gel and started to wash her right breast. Huh. She squinted through the water droplets running over her face. If she wasn't mistaken, there was what appeared to be a perfect, upside down bite mark on her right tit. Confused, turning her head slightly to the left, she saw a matching mark on her other side.

Shaking her head, the shampoo started to run into her eyes and began to sting. Swearing she closed her eyes and stepped closer to the shower spray. She was already wondering if it was too soon to go back to bed. Standing dripping on the bathmat, she wrapped a towel around her ad looked at her toes. Hmmm. It was time for a pedicure. The once perky (Connie's word, not hers) cotton pink color now seemed faded and chipped. The pinky toenail on her left foot was almost completely naked except for one pink splash that for some reason made her think of Rex's pink paw earlier as it stuck out of the soup can. She giggled and wondered if her life would be less confusing if she had a adult-sized soup can to hide in.

Sigh.

Toweling most of the water out of her hair with a second towel, she looked in the mirror and grimaced. Her lips were swollen and there was a red rash along one side of her face, starting above her cheekbone and spreading under her chin. She tilted her head slightly. Fuck. That was definitely a hickey; no wait, two hickies. The first light pink and almost dainty, running into a second, larger, rawer looking deep red mark with dark purple edges.

Deep sigh. She wished she her coffee mug full of hot coffee in her hand, not sitting in the other room almost empty with her now dead cell phone sticking out of it. Slowly, wishing she could avoid what she knew was waiting, she stepped into her bedroom.


	3. Chapter 3

**The Morning After**

Feeling the back of her neck tingle, she turned towards her closet. Closing her eyes in an attempt to avoid looking at her bed, she stumbled over what she realized was the black suede boot that she had hurt her ankle on earlier. Shit. Fuck. She laid sprawled on the carpet, tears starting to form under her tightly closed eyelids. The towel had come loose; exposing her milky white body to the man she knew was lying silently on her bed. Why me? Why did these things always happen to me?

**Babe.**

She sensed the strong arms a second before they wrapped around her, lifting her, placing her on the bed that still felt warm from his body. He carefully tucked the flowered comforter that she knew he hated around her. A large calloused finger gently wiped away the tears that were starting to leak out from under her eyelids. First the right side, then the left, the finger then rubbed across her top lip, enticing her, trying to encourage her to open her mouth.

**Babe.**

She scrunched her eyes tighter, pursed her lips together and tried to sink back into the bed. Willing her body to sink into the mattress; no, better yet, through the mattress, allowing her to hide under the bed.

**Aren't you going to look at me?**

Preoccupied with thoughts of how confused his normally inscrutable face might appear if she could magically escape the cage formed by his arms as he leaned over her to disappear under the bed. Hah. That would be worth seeing. But first she would have to open her eyes. She slowly lifted the lid on her right eye, to see his deep brown eyes less than an inch away. Startled, she jerked upwards, inadvertently touching her body against his broad chest before falling back into the bedding as if burned.

**I brought you breakfast.**

He gestured towards her nightstand. She looked over. There was a plate with two plumb chocolate covered Boston crème donuts. Next to it her Wonder Woman mug filled with coffee only, steaming. Yum. And a neatly folded napkin. A superhero he might be, but Batman had manners.

**I am sorry I wasn't here when you woke up.**

She slowly looked into the face that she had been trying to avoid. Not wanting to see his eyes customary coolness after the heat of the night they had just spent together.  
**  
I wanted to surprise you. I thought I would be back from the Tasty Pastry before you opened your beautiful eyes.**

Huh. His eyes weren't cold but rather a rich warm chocolate brown. She reached up with one finger to gently stroke his cheek. Never breaking eye contact, he turned his head slightly so that her finger slipped into his mouth. He softly sucked on it. She shivered and felt a tingle between her legs. Reaching up with her other hand, she buried her fingers in his think beautiful hair and slowly drew his head down to meet her face. She pulled her moist finger from his mouth and in one quick move, slipped her tongue in as a replacement. She felt rather than heard his sigh of pleasure as he relaxed his large body on top of her. She slowly moved her tongue around his mouth, pressing her lips tighter against his.

With a hard kiss, she pulled her head back, painfully breaking the connection between their mouths. She pursued her lips, trying to speak, distracted as he moved his head and started placing tiny kisses on the pulse point throbbing in her neck.

**I love you.**

His body stilled as if frozen. Moving his head up, brown eyes met blue, questioning, hoping. The fingers on his right hand moved from her hair to gently brush against her lips.

**I love you.**

His mouth crushed down on hers. His tongue forceful ad hard, pushed into her mouth, questing, probing. He pulled back for a moment, struggling to break contact so that he could speak.

**Te amo Babe.**

A frenzy ensued. Hands pulling, touching, squeezing; mouths licking, sucking, biting. Struggling to get out of the comforter wrapped around her, she was suddenly lifted free and wrapped her legs around his waist. Huh. He was naked. Not sure how that happened. She felt his cock, heavy and warm probing against her opening.

**Yes.**

She yelled as she pulled herself up against him, forcing him inside of her. Surprised, he paused for a moment, not wanting to hurt her, wanting her to want him as badly as he wanted her before he started to move.

**Move!**

She tightened her vagina muscles and dug her heels into his back.

**Move. Now.**

Her words acted like a trigger, breaking through what little control he had had. Ranger thrust his hips forward, burying his cock deep inside of her, until she could feel his balls banging against the sensitive skin between her pussy and her ass.


	4. Chapter 4

**Two Days Earlier – late Thursday night**

Friday would be a she day. Work at the Bonds Office was slow, probably due to the stifling heat and humidity that had been sitting over New Jersey for the past 10 days. If there were crimes being committed, they were of the white color type – taking place in sleek air-conditioned office buildings. Those types took longer to identify and longer even to trickle down to Vinnie's world and subsequently Steph's. Fortunately, her rent was paid for once thanks to the part-time searches she had been doing for Tank. She had been at her computer late finishing some searches tied to a huge Federal bond that Rangeman needed to resolve before Monday or the bond would be forfeit. When she had finally dropped the last of the printed sheets on Tank's desk at 10:43 p.m., he had told her to take tomorrow off. With pay. Go Stephanie!

She decided to have a she day. Joe was out of town on assignment and Ranger, well, she didn't want to think about Ranger. She and she alone would decide what to do and where and when to do it. She fell into her bed exhausted after a cold shower to cool herself off. She lay there listening to squeak of Rex's wheel. Inspired, she knew what she wanted to do - she would spend tomorrow at the beach. She would lie in the sun, play in the waves, eat huge slices of pizza at the boardwalk and take a ride in the Ferris wheel before heading back to Trenton tomorrow night. She fell asleep with a smile on her face thinking of the ocean and wondering if she needed to buy sun block.

**The Day Before – early Friday morning**

She woke early, feeling excited but not quite remembering why. Oh, the beach. She was going to the beach. She hopped out of bed, ran into the bathroom, brushing her teeth while digging through the basket on the shelf over the toilet. Yes, sunblock. SPF 30. She knew she had had some. Spitting into the sink, she rinsed her mouth out and looked into the mirror. Eek. Note to self, falling asleep with wet her might not be the best thing to do. Oh well, she would soon be in the ocean and she could shower at the bathhouse later. Grabbing the pseudo designer backpack that Lula had insisted she buy from Dougie the last time they went to pick up Mooner, she started cramming in all the necessities. Picking up her hairbrush she pulled the mass of tangled curls away from her face into a tight ponytail.

She opened the drawer, seeing the aqua colored bikini that Ranger had bought her when they were in Miami together last winter. She would never wear it; really she should throw it away since the sight of it brought back memories that made her sad. He had invited her for a vacation in the sun, an opportunity to get away, relax and see his daughter Julie again. A chance for them to be together away from the demands and responsibilities that they both had in N.J. Ranger had bought the bathing suit in a gift shop in Newark airport after their flight was delayed because of snow. She didn't have a chance to wear it. When they had finally reached Florida, they were met by Julio, Rangeman Miami's CEO, as they departed the plane. Ranger had been surprised to see Julio. It turned out the reason for his appearance was not good. There was a world crisis situation, she never learned where, and Ranger's government handler was going crazy trying to reach him. Finally the man had learned about their trip to Miami and Julio was there to warn them that a government team was waiting outside the arrival area to take Ranger with them. How Julio had made it into the secured arrivals section Stephanie never did figure out. Ranger had pulled her into his arms, kissed her softly and told Stephanie she could stay at his Miami house as long as she wanted. Stephanie watched him walk away, turned to Julio and asked where she could change her ticket for a flight back to N.J. that day.

That was almost 7 months ago.

Shaking her head, she reached past the bikini and pulled out a bright orange one piece with lime trimming that Grandma Mazur had bought for herself before being convinced to give it to her granddaughter by Stephanie's horrified mother. Despite the color, she liked the suit – it was built so it would stay in place and cover all the necessary bits when playing in the waves. Trying to recapture her previous excitement, she stuffed the suit in the bag, grabbed a towel and headed out the apartment. Almost through the door, she remembered Rex and ran back to shake some hamster pellets in his dish.


	5. Chapter 5

**The Day Before – Friday afternoon**

Stephanie sat at the picnic table, slowly chewing the super sized slice of pizza that the boardwalk vendor sold and watched the scene in front of her. She had had a great day on the beach - lying in the sun, playing in the waves and helping two cute toddlers and their mother build a sand castle. The pizza was the latest in her day's adventures, then she would take the Ferris Wheel ride that she had promised herself last night before heading home.

The crowds on the boardwalk were getting bigger as high tide came in and the water got rougher. She took another bite of pizza, smiling as she thought of the look on the little girl's face as the waves had knocked over their sand castle. She had been furious. Her mother had to distract her with promise of ice cream. Stephanie had gathered up her stuff, shaking the sand from her towel and wished them goodbye before heading up to her favorite pizza vendor.

The pizza was as good as she remembered. Maybe even better than Pino's. Or maybe it was just that pizza always tasted better after a day in the sun and water. There was a sudden cry of a hungry gull directly behind her. Distracted she turned and looked over her shoulder, her eye suddenly catching a familiar figure. Or was it two? Swallowing, she placed the pizza slice carefully back on the plate on the table before turning completely. Yes, that was Joe. Standing in front of Leo's Sausage Stand, his favorite boardwalk food as long as Stephanie had known him. The distracting part was the blonde woman in a micro bikini standing next to him and Joe's arm draped across her should tucking her into the curve of his body. She watched as he bent his head, giving her a kiss on the lips. As she turned her head into Joe's kiss, Stephanie saw her face more clearly. It was her sister Valerie.

**The Day Before – Friday evening**

Stephanie pulled her battered Honda Civic into the Sea Edge motel parking lot, hoping the vacancy sign was correct. Looking at her face in the rear view mirror, she realized anyone who saw her would know she had been crying. She rummaged in her bag looking for her sunglasses before realizing they were on her head. Sigh. She pulled them down and went into the motel office booking a room on her almost but not quite maxed out Visa card.

Taking the electronic key, she entered the room, dumping her bag on one of the double beds and started stripping her clothes off as she entered the bathroom. Standing in the shower, she let herself go. Huge racking sobs were drowned out by the water pouring over her head. Slowly she sank to the floor of the shower stall and tried to get ahold of herself. She wrapped her arms tightly around her knees, buried her face and cried.

Slowly she quieted. She realized that the warm water had run out and she was actually cold. Getting to her feet, she turned the water off and stepped out of the stall, dripping on the miniscule bath matt provided by the motel. Reaching for the towels, she wrapped one around her hair and started to dry off with the other. She was done crying. Dressing quickly in the cheerful sundress she had put on that morning, she grabbed her wallet and left the room walking towards the Seaside Heights boardwalk just three blocks away.

She bought cotton candy on a paper roll. Blue not pink. When they were kids, Valerie always had to have pink; Stephanie had preferred blue. Wandering slowly down the boardwalk, Stephanie sensed rather than saw the neon lights of the vendor stands as she headed towards the noise and chaos of the games and rides. When they were children, Stephanie thought, Valerie never wanted what I had – when did this change? When did she decide she liked Point Pleasant, one of Stephanie's favorite places in the world? Valerie had always hated the beach, disliking the sand and the heat. When did that change? When did she decide she wanted Joe, her sister's boyfriend?

Shaking her head, Stephanie stuck a five into the change machine for quarters. She moved over to the booth that had her favorite game, the beanbag toss one with the frogs sitting on lily pads. A half hour and ten dollars later, she was the owner of a supersized black panther that reminded her of Ranger. Struggling to see over its head, she walked into what felt like a wall.

**Oh.  
Bomber.**

She turned her head up, trying not to drop the large stuffed animal, her wallet or the half-eaten funnel cake she had to have.

**Hi Tank.**

Next to Tank stood Hector one of her favorite Rangemen.

**Hola Hector.**

Hola Chica. El gato es bonito.

Here you hold him.

She thrust the 4 ft panther in Hector's unsuspecting arms, thinking she might need to make a run for it; something better done with her arms free and Hector's occupied.

**Steph.**

Tank spoke softly, trying it seemed to look into her eyes which were hidden behind the ten dollar sunglasses she had bought at the 7 Eleven in Trenton when she stopped for gas that morning. Hmm. She had forgotten about Tank.

**What?**

Not answering, Tank gently took her left elbow, turning her around and leading her across the boardwalk to the railing overlooking the beach. Hector followed, holding the giant black cat, stopping a few feet away and turning with his back to the pair as he watched the crowds of tourists walking by.

**Why are you here? **

The question echoed as both Tank and Stephanie simultaneously spoke. Hector snorted, his back still to the now silent couple. Tank sighed.

**We clocked you headed out of Point Pleasant going 85. I didn't think your piece of shit car could do 85.**

It's a good car.

Stephanie defended the cherry red '93 Civic she had bought just last week.

**I like the color.**

Yeah. Made it easier for us to tag along with you on the Parkway once we caught up.

Using one large finger, Tank gently pushed her sunglasses up onto her head, nestled in her curly hair. Looking into her eyes, he looked at the tear starting to move down the corner of her right eye and softly demanded:

**Little girl, talk to me.**

She shook her head, her mouth opening than closing but without any sound coming out.


	6. Chapter 6

**Friday evening continued**

"Come on."

Tank took her elbow, leading her to the stairs a few feet away that led down to the beach. Together they walked out onto the sand. Steph stopped to remove her sandals and threw them off to the side. It must have been high tide as they soon ran into the waves reaching across the sand, running over her bare feet as well as Tank's size 15 black Cats.

"Your boots," she began.

"Hush, little one. Talk to me. What has you so upset?"

Stephanie paused, digging the toes on her left foot deeper into the wet sand. Startled as a wave rushed up and sprayed her with its salty foam, she sighed. Time to pull up my big girl panties.

Tank chuckled.

"Out loud?"

"Yeah."

"Shit."

"That too."

Turning her back to the ocean, this time Steph took hold of Tank's elbow and led him back a few feet before releasing his arm and plopping down on the warm sand. Tank lowered his large body next to her, grabbed her hand and gently stroking her fingers, ordered, "Talk."

When did my life get so fucked up?" Stephanie muttered still staring straight ahead at the waves breaking ashore.

"Bomber." Tank's deep voice washed over her, strangely comforting her.

"You know Joe asked me to marry him?" Steph's voice quietly stated. "And I said yes."

"Yeah." Tank answered, thinking to himself that all of Rangeman had heard the story of how Joe had convinced Mrs. Woscinski at the Tasty Pastry to hide the small ruby ring that he had inherited from his Aunt Mary inside a Boston Crème donut. Of course, Bomber being Bomber had grabbed the donut and swallowed it in two bites before Joe had a chance to get down on his knee in the parking lot of the Trenton Police Station as he had planned. Moaning over the taste, Stephanie totally missed Joe's question as he tried to ask her to be his wife. Once she realized what he had asked, her chance to answer was delayed as Joe started to rant and rage after belatedly realizing she must have swallowed the ring. Embarrassed as many of her friends on the police force and even two black SUVs full of Rangemen watched, Stephanie tried to protest as Joe forced her into his truck and headed towards St. Francis for an X-ray.

Three hours later, assured by the doctor in Emergency that the ring would be expelled naturally just like the time Bob ate her High School friendship ring, Stephanie was alone in her apartment. "I'm such a loser." She thought. "Who swallows their own engagement ring?" Her cell phone had been ringing nonstop ever since Lula had left. She just knew it was her mother trying to ask that very same question. Joe had left her at the hospital; he had needed to get back to work so she had called the Bonds Office for a ride.

She hadn't answered him yet. It really hadn't seemed like the time. His face had been red, the veins in his neck throbbing the way they did when he was really pissed off – or about to come.

Gaw. Gaw.

Stephanie and Tank both started as a line of white and grey seagulls flew low over their heads.

"You said yes." Tank repeated softly. "And Ranger left the next day for Miami."

Steph nodded. "He left me a voice mail; I didn't even get to say goodbye."

"Do you blame the man?" Tank dropped he hand abruptly, letting it fall into the sand.

"Nooo." She whispered. "But I miss him."

Tank shook his head, wondering why me. Everyone but the two of them could see the love they had for each other but at this point he doubted that everything would ever come of it. It seemed as if it would take a Presidential decree or an act by the Pope before the two of them would take a chance on a relationship. Shit. They were in a relationship; they just wouldn't acknowledge it – either to themselves or each other. But they weren't having sex together; at least he didn't think they were. Maybe that was why they were both acting so crazy – all those hormones, endorphins and whatever else churned up and neither of them having the guts to act on it.

"Joe's fucking Valerie."  
Tank started, he had been lost in his own thoughts and Stephanie's statement made him shake his head. His mouth opened. "He what?"

"I saw them this morning on the boardwalk in Pt. Pleasant."

"Are you sure it was Morelli? And Valerie?"

"Yeah. I even got a couple of pictures. I had one of the Rangemen cameras with me that Hector leant me yesterday. I had wanted to try and take pictures from the top of the Ferris wheel." Stephanie sighed and flopped back down on the sand, staring straight up into the clear blue sky.

"I keep wondering why."

"Why what?"

"Why the people who are supposed to love me always seem to hurt me – my mom, Dickie, Joe and even Valerie."

Stephanie sat back up and looked at Tank. He could tell she was trying not to cry. Brushing sand off of her back, Tank thought about what he should or shouldn't say. Fuck it. He turned and looked directly into her eyes.

"Not everyone, little girl. The Boss man loves you and he would gnaw off his right arm before he hurt you."

"Why doesn't he want me then?" Steph looked sadly at Tank, before dipping her head forward so that her hair fell and hid her face.

"Steph, Ranger would kill me if he knew I said this but you have to listen. He loves you but he doesn't know much about how to be in a relationship. He and Rachel were a mistake. That marriage lasted less than 6 months. Rachel signed the divorce papers while she was still in the hospital after having Julie."

"The Army has been his whole life. His focus, his family. Rangeman is his way of making a space for himself in the world outside of the army. A space where he still feels comfortable. He never expected to fall in love. But he did." Tank clasped her hand again, holding it firmly in his. "He did."


End file.
